Saturday, March 6, 2010

I love traveling to New York to visit my girlfriends. I have quite a few Smithie friends who have made a home in the city of lights so when ever I visit I always have wonderful company. Christian and I decided to take a weekend trip to visit our friends, shop, and I also wanted to visit the Etsy offices. I was itching to see where all the admin I correspond with work and see them in their environment. So I coordinated a visit with Neha, a fellow Smithie, of Waverley Kitchens (an amazing Indian spice blend shop on etsy) and my BFF :-)

Located in the hip neighborhood of Dumbo in Brooklyn it truly is a picturesque place to work. Right under the Brooklyn Bridge and on the same block as super hip bars and boutiques I can imagine it's a great area to live.

When we got to the loft like offices we walked right in (no stuffy door man needed) and headed up to the Etsy suite where we met with Sarah our lovely tour guide. She showed us around their new office space which felt more like a playground, than a place of employment. Admin were doing everything from playing ping pong in the main social space, breaking out the wine (it was a Friday afternoon!), laying on couches in a quite room filled with incredible retro vintage furniture and chasing their dogs around the compound.

Visually Etsy is quicky and wacky, just like you'd expect. And pretty much everything is handmade. They are currently getting rid of all their bland Ikea furniture and buying handmade desks from Etsy sellers. Even their humongous picnic table in the dining area is handmade.

Splayed around all over the office are items sellers have sent. Chandeliers made of antlers, quilts from the Etsy Quilt team, and larger than life whimsical lamps made from mango tree roots.

I especially loved seeing the Etsy labs and the craft room, where every Monday night they offer a free Craft Night. Sewing machines, a silk screening machine, and other crafting tools fill the room. It's a crafter's dream!

It was also really intriguing learning about Etsy's up and coming projects. One we learned about is that they will be offering customer service via phone for the very first time. They are currently converting 3 closets into phone rooms and are having artist come in a completely transform them into fantasy rooms. My favorite one will feature hundreds of doors paining all over the walls.

We also learned that Etsy will have a new feature where they will recommend items for you based on your favorites. I am totally excited for this but they are still trying to work out all the kinks, so I'll have to wait.

Putting a face to all the admin who have featured me over my time at Etsy was such a delight. Seeing them working away on their Macs and their colorful desks was so fun. And literally these people are the friendliest folk you'll ever meet. They even gave us gift bags filled with Etsy goodies- how sweet!

I left wanted a job application and knowing that Etsy is such a wonderful community to be a part of. Next trip I'll have to extend my trip so I can go to Craft Night!